Overcoming Artistic Burnout- A Trip to the Mountains

by David Finley

If you're feeling burned out, unproductive, and are creating one artistic dud after another, a vacation might be just what the doctor ordered.

Artistic burnout comes on slowly so you may not notice it at first. This was very much the case with me. I felt like I was hitting a wall with my art, and my writing was suffering, too, but I kept hammering along anyway. Sure, some successes made their way through, but my trash bin testified to the growing number of failures. I badly needed a break.

Fortunately, my wife and I had scheduled a trip to the mountains to celebrate her birthday. Our destination: Hot Springs, NC.

The view was breathtaking as we made our way up the treacherous and winding roads along the mountain side. Did I mention I have an unreasonable fear of heights?

Despite my height phobia, we managed to make my way up the mountain anyway where our cabin awaited. As you can imagine, it was well worth the journey.

Hot Springs Cabins

The exterior of the cabin, named the Paw Print, was simple and functional until you made it to the front porch...

... which was filled with tiny details like a bear wind chime, a grill, hot tub, and custom made wooden benches.

This is a great bench to sit at as you smoke a cigar. The view from the bench is mostly trees, but there was a slight opening you could see the mountains through. It's beautiful and let me tell you, some wine or craft beer just adds to the experience.

It's tough to tell from the pics, but all the interior wood was natural without stain or varnish. It looked like it was rubbed with mineral spirits.

There was a quaint little eat in kitchen.

And, a flat screen tv over the fire place that we never watched.

It was private, secluded, and romantic: the perfect getaway. Even if we had stayed in the cabin the whole time grilling, reading, and soaking in the hot tub , our vacation would have been incredible. However, we decided to go sight seeing and white water rafting (I almost died! ). But that is a story for another post.

The bad news is, we had to return home, but the good news is that my artistic burnout has been cured.

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I'm hopelessly addicted to art.

It all started when I was four years old, sitting at the side of my Dad's drafting table, watching his large blocky hand deftly guide a slender tapered brush, damp with ink, across a sheet of smooth bristol. I fell in love that day, and it's a passion that has only been nurtured and fed over time.

Of course, now I'm a dad and it's my blocky hands moving those brushes across the page.

Thanks so much for taking a look at work. If you are interested in working together, please contact me at dffinley(at)gmail.com.